The hottest Human behavior Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Literature Topics

Analyze Brain Regions, not Neurons

John Ball inside AI • 59 implied HN points • 08 Jul 24
🔬 Science Neuroscience AI Cognitive Science Brain function Human behavior
  1. It's better to study brain regions rather than just neurons because brain regions are responsible for specific functions, and damage to these regions leads to predictable problems.
  2. AI development has focused too much on the workings of individual neurons instead of understanding how brain regions connect and work together as a system.
  3. Understanding meaning is crucial for AI to function like human brains, as language and thought come from the brain's ability to store and connect experiences.

You Don't Have To Be Nice To Win

The Real Sarah Miller • 314 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Personal Stories Human behavior Social Interactions
  1. Being nice is not always necessary to succeed in certain situations. Sometimes, a more assertive approach might be more effective.
  2. Building connections with others can be a mix of being open and assertive, rather than just trying to please everyone.
  3. It's important to be genuine and authentic in interactions with others, even if it means expressing opinions that may not align with everyone.

In spite of time.

Neckar’s Notes • 84 implied HN points • 25 Jan 25
📖 Philosophy Existentialism Mortality Time Human behavior Spirituality
  1. We often distract ourselves from the fear of death with activities like scrolling on our phones or drinking alcohol. This shows how much we want to avoid thinking about time running out.
  2. Instead of making us appreciate our time more, anxiety about time can sometimes lead us to waste it. We think we have future opportunities and can make up for lost moments later.
  3. Wasting time can be a form of rebellion against the limits of life and death. It's like spending our last bit of money on something pointless, knowing that it might hurt us later.
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Communication: do it right

Disaffected Newsletter • 859 implied HN points • 06 Apr 23
🎭️ Culture Communication Human behavior Social norms Technology impact Generational differences
  1. Clear communication is important. When asking for help, be specific and provide details so others can understand you easily.
  2. Don't expect others to do the work for you. If you send vague messages, people might ignore your requests instead of figuring out what you want.
  3. Respect in communication is essential. Everyone should consider the needs of the person they're talking to and not treat them like a machine.

Soft is the New Hard.

The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past • 72 implied HN points • 02 Feb 25
💼 Business Leadership Work Culture Strategic Thinking Personal Development Human behavior
  1. Grace means being kind and humble to others, understanding that success comes from many factors, not just hard work. It's about caring for people's feelings and respecting their experiences.
  2. Flow happens when you are fully engaged in something challenging but enjoyable. It brings joy and can come from creating, learning, or helping others grow.
  3. Connection is crucial for happiness. Building strong relationships and having a purpose can improve your life, helping you feel more fulfilled and supported.

Men consume relationships. Women produce them.

Wood From Eden • 720 implied HN points • 31 Aug 23
🎭️ Culture Relationships Gender Social Dynamics Human behavior
  1. Women tend to consider relationships as work, while men view them as leisure.
  2. Men often approach romantic relationships like consumers, while women see them as a project to build and maintain.
  3. There is a difference in the amount of intellectual investment that men and women put into relationships, with women generally devoting more intellectual effort.

Prospective Memory and UX

UX Psychology • 317 implied HN points • 04 May 23
🔬 Science Cognitive Psychology UX Design Human behavior Research
  1. Prospective memory is the ability to remember to do something in the future. It's crucial for daily tasks like attending meetings or taking medication.
  2. There are two main types of prospective memory: event-based (triggered by cues) and time-based (triggered by specific times). Distractions or cognitive load can lead to failures in remembering to do a task at the right time.
  3. Designing interfaces with visual cues, gamification, habit formation, contextual design, and cognitive offloading can improve users' prospective memory performance and create more engaging experiences.

The Y Chromosome Bottleneck

Vectors of Mind • 314 implied HN points • 29 May 23
🔬 Science Genetics Evolution Human behavior Anthropology Selection
  1. Men and women think differently, and there may have been a moment in history where men had to 'catch up' on self-awareness and language.
  2. Recent genetic research suggests a bottleneck on the Y chromosome, indicating possible massive selection in the recent past.
  3. The Y chromosome bottleneck coincided with cultural changes and patrilineal competition, shedding light on human male demographic history.

Coalitions are everywhere

Optimally Irrational • 62 implied HN points • 30 Jan 25
📖 Philosophy Game Theory Social Psychology Coalitions Human behavior Evolutionary Theory
  1. Coalitions are important in human life. We often need to work together for defense, support, and to achieve bigger goals than we could alone.
  2. People really care about their social groups and belonging. Feeling excluded from a group can make us anxious or upset.
  3. Our reputation matters a lot in coalitions. How others see us can affect our ability to make friends or succeed in groups.

5 tips for how to have great conversations!!!

Thicket Forte • 1538 implied HN points • 16 Mar 22
🎭️ Culture Communication Human behavior Social Interaction Personal Growth Emotional Intelligence
  1. Look people in the eyes when you talk to them. This helps you connect and can make the conversation feel warmer.
  2. If you want to have a real conversation, listen and engage with the person. It's important to be present and pay attention to their feelings and body language.
  3. Having great conversations can lead to amazing connections. It’s all about sharing, understanding, and feeling like you belong with others.

Rabbit Holes 🕳️ #100

Creative Destruction • 15 implied HN points • 11 Dec 24
🕹 Technology AI Ecology Digital Culture Human behavior Innovation
  1. Ecotrauma highlights how everything in nature connects and shows the lasting impact of events like the Big Bang on our world today. It's about recognizing that trauma is not just the past, but something we live with in our environment.
  2. In today's digital age, social media creates an echo chamber that can limit true originality. We often only see reflections of our own interests online, which can stifle creativity and make us crave something new and genuine.
  3. The rise of AI challenges us to rethink our own human thoughts and behaviors. We should strive to keep our thinking unique and avoid becoming too robotic in our approach to life.

Why we should look for the good reasons behind our behaviour

Optimally Irrational • 77 implied HN points • 12 Dec 24
📖 Philosophy Cognitive Science Evolutionary Psychology Decision-making Behavioral Economics Human behavior
  1. Understanding our behavior is important because it's not just random; it comes from a long history of survival and adaptation. We should look for reasons behind our choices instead of labeling them as irrational.
  2. Historically, research has focused a lot on cognitive biases, making it seem like humans are mostly flawed thinkers. Now, there's a shift towards recognizing our mental processes can also be adaptively efficient.
  3. Many behaviors that seem like mistakes may actually be smart solutions given the complex decisions we face. It's better to explore the reasons behind behaviors to find their potential usefulness.

Elephant Riding

Polymathic Being • 104 implied HN points • 10 Nov 24
📖 Philosophy Ethics Logic Cognition Emotion Human behavior
  1. We balance emotions and reason like an elephant and a rider. The elephant represents our feelings, which often drive our decisions more than we think.
  2. Relying only on logic can lead to problems. Emotions help us make decisions, and without them, we might struggle with even simple choices.
  3. To make better decisions, we should understand our emotions and how they influence us. This means taking time to think things through and checking if our feelings align with reality.

Five ways to play the status game

A Bit Gamey • 6 implied HN points • 12 Jan 25
🎭️ Culture Social Dynamics Identity Psychology Human behavior Interpersonal Relationships
  1. Understanding status games is important because they affect our behavior and relationships. We compete for recognition, which can be linked to our basic survival needs.
  2. There are different types of status games we play, like dominance, virtue, and success games. Each type influences how we interact with others and see ourselves.
  3. To navigate status games better, we should be self-aware, diversify our sources of fulfillment, practice empathy, seek intrinsic value, and question cultural norms. This can lead to a more satisfying life.

Life in the Mirrorworld

New World Same Humans • 54 implied HN points • 15 Dec 24
🕹 Technology AI Simulation Society Research Human behavior
  1. Researchers created AI agents that act like real people by using interviews from actual humans. These agents can predict human responses really well, showing they understand complex human behavior.
  2. In the past, simulating human societies was hard because people's actions are unpredictable. Now, using large language models helps create more accurate social simulations.
  3. The future could have huge virtual communities filled with AI people living their everyday lives. This might change how businesses and governments operate, as everyone will want to engage with these simulated societies.

Understanding the Hawthorne Effect in UX Research

UX Psychology • 138 implied HN points • 06 Feb 23
🕹 Technology UX Research Human behavior User Experience Research Methods
  1. The Hawthorne Effect is when individuals change their behavior because they know they are being observed, impacting various behaviors from dietary habits to research study results.
  2. Possible explanations for the Hawthorne Effect include people conforming to expectations when observed and feeling pressured to perform better.
  3. To mitigate the Hawthorne Effect in UX research, steps like using control groups, minimizing feedback during studies, focusing on cause-and-effect relationships, and creating judgment-free environments can help obtain more accurate data.

A model of models of probability

Bram’s Thoughts • 78 implied HN points • 23 Nov 23
🔬 Science Probability Models Human behavior
  1. People generally have a simplified internal model of probability with five main categories.
  2. People tend to struggle with accurately gauging differences in expected values within the 40-60% range.
  3. Individuals often display overconfidence in their predictions for probable events and can become overly upset when these predictions fail.

Turn-taking in the age of Zoom

The Counterfactual • 139 implied HN points • 05 May 23
🎭️ Culture Communication Language Social norms Technology impact Human behavior
  1. Turn-taking is a key part of human conversation, where one person speaks and then the other responds. This has been observed even in some animals, showing that it's a long-established communication behavior.
  2. Studies show that conversation timing is mostly consistent across different languages, with an average pause of about 208 milliseconds between turns. This quick exchange helps keep conversations flowing smoothly.
  3. Zoom and similar video call platforms can disrupt the natural rhythm of conversations, leading to longer pauses and more frustration. This change might affect how we communicate in the long term as remote communication becomes more common.

On Michael Mann's "On Wars"

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 153 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
🚌 Education Review Analysis War Peace Human behavior
  1. Wars are negative-sum activities where mistakes are made by one or both parties involved.
  2. The book 'On Wars' by Michael Mann explores the history and nature of war, aiming to understand the underlying causes of conflicts and achieve peace.
  3. Chris Blattman's 'Why We Fight' provides a useful sociology of war by identifying key types of mistakes that lead to wars, offering insights to guide toward peace.

On Austen, Mansfield Park, and Social Comparison—Or How We Judge Ourselves through Others

Vremya • 279 implied HN points • 04 Sep 22
📚 Literature Classic Novels Social Psychology Comparative Analysis Human behavior Ethics
  1. We compare ourselves to others to judge our own happiness and success. It’s hard to know how we're doing without thinking about those around us.
  2. Upward comparison can make us feel bad about ourselves when we see others doing better. This can motivate us but sometimes it can just make us feel worse.
  3. Downward comparison helps us feel better about our own lives when we see others who are worse off. It’s a way to boost our self-esteem in tough times.

The Case For Astrology

Castalia • 119 implied HN points • 15 Apr 23
🎭️ Culture Human behavior Spirituality Astrology Society Tradition
  1. Astrology can feel surprisingly accurate for understanding personalities. People often connect strongly with their zodiac traits, which can help in navigating relationships.
  2. Many cultures have a long history with astrology, showing it's more than just superstition. It's a part of human experience and can offer insights into our lives.
  3. Astrology emphasizes the uniqueness of individuals. It promotes acceptance of different characters and limitations, encouraging us to be true to ourselves rather than trying to fit a single mold.

Cognitive Science needs linguistic diversity

The Counterfactual • 59 implied HN points • 20 Feb 23
🔬 Science Cognitive Science Linguistics Psychology Human behavior
  1. Cognitive science and linguistics are often too focused on English, which means we miss out on understanding how different languages work. Studying only a few languages makes it hard to see the full picture of language and cognition.
  2. Different languages influence how we think and perceive the world. For example, some languages have unique ways of expressing colors or time that can change how speakers of those languages understand these concepts.
  3. To improve our understanding of cognition, researchers need to include a wider variety of languages in their studies. We should explore languages beyond English to get a better grasp on how the human mind works across different cultures.

The Wisdom To Choose Action or Inaction

Who is Robert Malone • 14 implied HN points • 04 Nov 24
📖 Philosophy Ethics Social Sciences Complex Systems Political theory Human behavior
  1. It's important to understand the difference between complicated systems, like computers, and complex systems, like ecosystems or human societies. Complex systems are unpredictable and can't always be controlled with precise interventions.
  2. When dealing with complex systems, sometimes it's better to wait and observe rather than rush to act. Taking a careful, incremental approach can help prevent unintended consequences.
  3. Censorship and forced social engineering can hinder our ability to adapt and learn from experiences. Encouraging free communication and decentralized thinking is crucial for innovation and growth.